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I hear from a friend who has ulcerative colitis, that there is a certain point where an ostomy bag is an improvement. Let us avoid that point. Continence #lifegoals

Nonsense, submersion is the best way to enjoy any learning. Just leap off the cliff into the deep end of whaling around trying to cram it all in. Best thing ever.

I say, do you think nurses need to have know safety measures? Hmmm. Not sure why. Who doesn't enjoy someone trying to give you an injection like you are a dart board from across a ward? Really ;P

Breaks? They are for other people, lol.

roflmfao

True on all accounts, except maybe the last statement lmfao- they do encourage you to pierce the skin rapidly to decrease patient discomfort (push speed is another story; well, many stories- imagine having to push 2ml over 5 minutes- just keep twisting)

Anyhow, I did it! I passed & am still in the program- requirements are to have 80% average on exams (projects/papers/alt assignments averaged in next, still 80% or above) to move forward- approximately half the class failed. 1 step closer to my RN degree!!!!! ^.^/

True on all accounts, except maybe the last statement lmfao- they do encourage you to pierce the skin rapidly to decrease patient discomfort (push speed is another story; well, many stories- imagine having to push 2ml over 5 minutes- just keep twisting)

Anyhow, I did it! I passed & am still in the program- requirements are to have 80% average on exams (projects/papers/alt assignments averaged in next, still 80% or above) to move forward- approximately half the class failed. 1 step closer to my RN degree!!!!! ^.^/

I am not sure 'dart throwing' counts as rapid piercing. :P

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well done, that is awesome. I mean, I know you are definitely smart and diligent enough to average 80% and above, but I am glad that they know that now as well. <3<3<3

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (almost done and not entirely happy at this point. No, I haven't seen the movie.)
2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson
On Death & Dying by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen (almost done, iffy on this one. I think I just really love watching crazed Angelina)

For me, it was life changing because I not only started sleeping better but this in itself created a domino effect and improved a lot of other things such as my mood, energy, time management and overall wellbeing. So I wanted to share this here for anyone who either has sleep problems or just wants to up their game.

Currently reading:

Brain Food by Dr Lisa Mosconi. Lots of interesting stuff in there, helps you understand how brains work in a very digestible manner. So far, the only thing I don't like about this book is that the author is against the ketogenic diet (which I really want to try) but a lot of valualbe information in there nonetheless.

lmost done, iffy on this one. I think I just really love watching crazed Angelina)

Yeah, I got through ten pages and decided to stop. Not my cup of tea.

Originally Posted by Procrastinator

Not much of a reader but I'm getting there.

A few months ago I read Sleep Smarter by Shawn Stevenson:

Looks interesting - what sort of tips does it give? Apart from the usual sleep hygiene recommendations? Glad you are feeling better. :)

...thing I don't like about this book is that the author is against the ketogenic diet (which I really want to try) but a lot of valualbe information in there nonetheless.

With the disclaimer that it is your body and you can try whatever you want, as a senior researcher and clinician I would hope she wasn't in favour of the ketogenic diet. Anything that forces your body into such an absolute starvation mode, or to do what a diabetic's body does without control is problematic.

Book:

I recently finished Marlon James' new book Red Wolf, Black Leopard. Well he certainly put everything in that first volume, lol. It is a rashomon style Game of Thrones, Neil Gaiman African fantasy venture. Except that every five seconds he is subverting the genre and hilariously messes around with a whole bunch of classical literature in there (the opening is totally Gulliver's Travels, if Gulliver was a tribesman from Central Africa). I rather loved it, felt like I was reading one extra long Tarantino film that had somehow wandered, really, really off track. James's words delight me.

Looks interesting - what sort of tips does it give? Apart from the usual sleep hygiene recommendations? Glad you are feeling better. :)

A lot, there is a total of 21 sleep improvement strategies in the book and I haven't tried all of them. One of the things that helped me the most was removing all technology from my bedroom and doing my best to avoid screens at least 60 minutes before bed. The reasoning behind it is that electronic devices can not only disrupt your sleep cycles but using them too close to bedtime supresses the production of melatonin in your body. The second and in my opinion most important thing for me was to set myself a regular sleep and waking time every day. Being a shift worker before I started applying the strategies in the book, I was practically forcing my body/circadian clock to adapt to the current week's shift pattern over and over again and that is what I think was making the worst impact on me. So with these two simple changes I also developed a morning and an evening routine where I would do things to either get myself going or wind down before bed. The rest of the book emphasizes on the importance of sleep, getting sunlight during the day, eating real food (aka avoiding highly processed foods), how to make your bedroom a sleep sanctuary, utilising massage and self-massage, having a caffeine curfew and so on. I absolutely adore the author of the book, he also has an amazing podcast.

With the disclaimer that it is your body and you can try whatever you want, as a senior researcher and clinician I would hope she wasn't in favour of the ketogenic diet. Anything that forces your body into such an absolute starvation mode, or to do what a diabetic's body does without control is problematic.

Starvation? What makes you say this? From what I've read and heard, keto is about resetting your metabolism to make it fat- and ketone adapted and one of its effects is that you are rarely hungry?

A lot, there is a total of 21 sleep improvement strategies in the book and I haven't tried all of them. One of the things that helped me the most was removing all technology from my bedroom and doing my best to avoid screens at least 60 minutes before bed. The reasoning behind it is that electronic devices can not only disrupt your sleep cycles but using them too close to bedtime supresses the production of melatonin in your body. The second and in my opinion most important thing for me was to set myself a regular sleep and waking time every day. Being a shift worker before I started applying the strategies in the book, I was practically forcing my body/circadian clock to adapt to the current week's shift pattern over and over again and that is what I think was making the worst impact on me. So with these two simple changes I also developed a morning and an evening routine where I would do things to either get myself going or wind down before bed. The rest of the book emphasizes on the importance of sleep, getting sunlight during the day, eating real food (aka avoiding highly processed foods), how to make your bedroom a sleep sanctuary, utilising massage and self-massage, having a caffeine curfew and so on. I absolutely adore the author of the book, he also has an amazing podcast.

Yeh, white light is terrible for sleep. My problem is as always the fact that my body never has been that of an early riser and yet it is forced to get up 5 days a week and pretend to be one - shift working the other direction! Messes with my blood sugar, my ability to not eat bad food (always tired, always craving quick fixes), and is like having perpetual jetlag. I have to have a strict bed time, routine and sleep with the blinds wide open to get as much sunlight as possible to even attempt to get awake. Blech.

He sounds good, might have to hunt it down. Anyone emphasising self care is good by my book :)

Starvation? What makes you say this? From what I've read and heard, keto is about resetting your metabolism to make it fat- and ketone adapted and one of its effects is that you are rarely hungry?

It induces ketosis which is your body essentially the same process as starving and burning the fat stores in your body (hence why you aren't hungry). You are putting your metabolism into full blown panic mode and creating fast fat loss that way. Current research shows that it might (no long term studies) be useful for some neurological disorders or for those at risk from extreme obesity, but for weight loss there is no evidence of sustainability in the long term especially given that if you stop the body will be trying to get you to eat everything now to put on the weight you lost. Resetting one's metabolism takes years and is far easier to do through weight gain. Alas. Plus you are at risk of losing muscle mass (you need carbohydrate to produce muscle) and ending up with high cholesterol and vitamin deficiencies.

It induces ketosis which is your body essentially the same process as starving and burning the fat stores in your body (hence why you aren't hungry). You are putting your metabolism into full blown panic mode and creating fast fat loss that way. Current research shows that it might (no long term studies) be useful for some neurological disorders or for those at risk from extreme obesity, but for weight loss there is no evidence of sustainability in the long term especially given that if you stop the body will be trying to get you to eat everything now to put on the weight you lost. Resetting one's metabolism takes years and is far easier to do through weight gain. Alas. Plus you are at risk of losing muscle mass (you need carbohydrate to produce muscle) and ending up with high cholesterol and vitamin deficiencies.

Exactly. I'd just recommend eating healthy for the long haul-you're gonna be controlling what you feed yourself, anyhow-why not swap to salads, fruits, veggies; water! and then exercise =) lol to each their own, but I really find there is a fundamental flaw in the conception of losing weight & being healthy.